St. Landry democrat., 1887-09-03

and new designs substituted. But taste
is a matter of education, and while
the American people are apt scholars,
there is vet much to learn, and many
decorations that pass among a clique
for something too beautiful for any
thing" declare this fact forcibly.
We sometimes speak Of an artist as
a born genius; but this is a fallacy,
for unless the person who is more
especially blessed by nature be taught,
he never attains to the highest point
Of his possibilities. He cannot shut
his eyes and determine if a thing
be beautiful or not. The instinct of
beauty is great thing, but unframed it
is comparatively useless. 4 thing is
beautiful when it is fitted for its use and
position; otherwise it is a sham. 1t gains
an added worth and becomes an artistic
production when it expresses some
thought, and so partakes of human in
dividuality. So when person deco
rates his house ii would be we'll to think
about it that the individuality it reflects
may be pleasant one.
1t is an absolute necessity that designers
should not only possess natural aptitude
for their work, but a thorough training in
the art of combinations. 1t is mistake
to suppose that house can be filled with
costly furniture, leaving the wall till the
last, and expect harmony to come out of
such chaos. The wallpaper designer is
not at fault if the effect is grOtesque.
He conceives a room bare Ct all furnish
ing, making one pattern that will mar
monte with certain draperies and up
holsterv, and then evolves endless COM
binations of colors in elaborate, cOnven-
tional or plain figures adapted now to
rich furniture and then to more modest Sc
lections, so that the effect may be pleasing
in the end. The wall should be decorated
first; but should this not be the case, GER
tainly it is imperative that the furniture
be selected with an eye of adaptabilitv to
its surroundings. BY far the wiser plan
is to decorate the walls first. Most
American rooms are, as Henry James
very Justly remarks, ''cOrrldOr-llke. SO
the first object is to reduce that in APP
pearance as much as possible Certainly
striped paper is to be avoided and any
with glaring figures The paper known
to the trade as ingram, with an unpat-
termed surface, can be used very generally
to good advantage with artistic effect
in fact, so popular has it become that
very poor imitation has made its appear
ance, and is many times sold with the
| assurance that it hangs almost as well as
the genuine This is not true. 1t is
thin and smooth, with little vertical
lines running at haphazard all over
! it. besides, it hangs badly, every
seam shows and the whole paper
is apt to look spotted, as If 1t
were wet in some places and dry IN
| others. The real ingram is soft, thick,
unpatterned paper which comes III all
the art tints 1t is the same on both
sides and all the way through, and pos
sesses this advantage-it can be cleaned
with dough or bread crumbs without the
least injury to its surface. 1t is rather
expensive, and the cost of hanging is
the same as of gilt paper as it is so thick
that extra care is required in the prep
aration of the walls. None but eXpe-
rienced men should be allowed to at
tempt it, The effect is soft and velvety,
making an excellent groundwork for
pictures and statuary. 1t is much used
in art galleries. With these papers, as
with most others of an unconspicu-
Gus pattern, broad frieze is
needed, but not gilt one. With
an ingram, gilt would be thoroughly
inharmonious. as the appearance of the
wall should be soft and quietly rich, not
in the least what is called "handsome"
The trieze most suitable for this purpose
would be a 'one-band frieze'-that is,
the full width of the papering taken up
by enc strip of bordering-with rather
large pattern full of character, soft in
coloring and conventionalized. Strong
contrasts and vivid coloring would be
out of place with so quiet paper. The
most costly wallpaper hangings are